sark

/særk/

noun

1.

(Scot) a shirt or (formerly) chemise

Word Origin

Old English serc; related to Old Norse serkr

Sark

/sɑːk/

noun

1.

an island in the English Channel in the Channel Islands, consisting of Great Sark and Little Sark, connected by an isthmus: ruled by a hereditary Seigneur or Dame. Pop: 591 (2000). Area: 5 sq km (2 sq miles) French name Sercq

"shirt, body garment of linen or cotton for either sex," late Old English serc "shirt, corselet, coat of mail," surviving as a Scottish and northern dialect word, from Old Norse serkr, cognate with Old English serk (see berserk). But Gordon lists it as a loan-word from Latin sarcia; other sources are silent on the point. Cf. also Lithuanian sarkas "shirt," Old Church Slavonic sraka "tunic," Russian soročka, Finnish sarkki "shirt," all of which perhaps are from Germanic.